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Downtown Cincinnati is laid out on a basin on the Ohio River, surrounded by steep hills.[1] Downtown Cincinnati's streets are arranged on a grid. Streets are split between the east and west by Vine Street.[2] Bridges from Downtown Cincinnati span the Ohio River across to Covington and Newport in Kentucky.

Downtown has long been the economic hub of Cincinnati.[4] In the mid-nineteenth century 16 of the city's 24 banks were located on Third Street near the busy Public Landing river port. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the center of business activity moved to Fourth Street,[5] closer to where it remains today.